Thursday, November 1, 2012
No more Comet anymore....
I see that Comet is about to go into administration. That's another big name to fall of the many since this financial crisis began. Tonbridge High Street just won't look the same without Comet. Oh, hang on, wait a moment. There is no Comet on Tonbridge High Street and hasn't been since about 1990 (if indeed there ever was one.) In fact, come to think of it, there aren't any electrical retailers on Tonbridge High Street any more. No Curry's, no Dixons, no PC World, no Tandy (remember them?) nothing unless you count the mobile phone shops and Robert Dyas, who themselves nearly went under not that long ago. Soon there'll only be cafes, hairdressers, kebab shops and Mr. Books left!....
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13 comments:
Sad news indeed about Comet, but not really relevant to Tonbridge High Street as such. The other electrical retailers you mention all moved out of the town a long time ago, and given the obvious attractions of large retail parks, with their ample free parking, I can quite understand why.
Tonbridge High Street need to try re-inventing itself, by attracting, smaller specialist shops if it wants to survive. Your shop is an obvious example, but we need lots more similar, privately owned businesses. Unfortunately, I can't see it happening, given the high rents on the High Street!
Agreed Paul, there should be encouragement for the smaller independant (IMO more interesting)retailers. Shops are slowly being picked off one by one.
It's more to do with the crippling business rates to be on the High Street. I pay nearly £2,500 compared with zero in my old shop. No account is taken of turnover of the business. The council (actually the central government) assess this purely on the rateable value of the property. Why would an independent business on a very limit budget bother to take the risk when they'd probably do just as well at farmers markets, fairs and the internet? That's the crux of it all....
Basically what you're saying TB, is that whilst paying lip-service to encouraging businesses back to the High Street and trying to rejuvenate our town centres, government (both local and central) are shafting business owners and taking them to the cleaners! Hypocrites the lot of them, but then what else should we expect from crooked politicians?
Btw how much do charity shops pay in business rates? On second thoughts don't answer that as I know what the answer will be.
I don't think charity shops pay business rates do they?
The problem is, you and I are to blame for the demise of high street shopping, as consumers we like shopping in supermarkets. It's all under one roof; the butcher, the baker, the greengrocer, the paper shop..it's all there. Also we all have cars, so it's so much easier to drive to an industrial estate where everything is in one place, like North Farm outside Tunbridge Wells. You can park for free, and buy just about anything you like, electrical or furniture wise.
We all take advantage of that don't we? So unless we change our shopping habits, what's the point in small shops opening in high streets?
P.S
I also think that if £2,500 is the standard business rate in Tonbridge, then they should make all carparks free to encourage people to shop in the town. Not that I ever pay anyway, but a lot of naive shoppers do.
Small, independent shops work and thrive in some towns. Lewes is a good, fairly local example of this. Where there's a will..........!
I tend to avoid North Farm, whenever possible. The place is far too often grid-locked for my liking, and is a classic example of ill-concieved, piecemeal planning of the sort only councils can come up with!
Nice one Sebfox. Outrageous charges I agree! How do you get away with it?
Well the thing is, Outraged, it's the council that have been getting away with it for years. They extort money from motorists by pretending that you will be breaking the law if you park without a ticket.
In actual fact you wouldn't be breaking any law at all, public carparks come under legislation which is only enforcable by consent. As soon as you buy one of their silly tickets, it's a bit like signing a contract saying that you agree with that "act" or legislation. The law doesn't even enter into it. In other words, as long as you don't consent, (by not buying a ticket), and you get one of their bright yellow, official looking plastic baggies glued to your window, ignore it and wait to hear from them. You'll eventually get a recorded letter from them demanding their money. Personally I find simply not signing for the letter usually works I never sign my name to anything. However, sometimes they can be very persistent in their harrassment, because they're so greedy for cash. In that case just appeal against it, stating that you did not consent or wish to enter into any contract with them. Honestly, so few people do this, but it DOES work.
P.s..One time it did reach the "summons" stage, so I wrote a letter requesting a "bill of sale" and a contract signed by myself agreeing to consent...I sent one copy to the council, and the other copy to the so called "Magistrate" court. I never heard another thing....
Why was that comment removed? Was it an obscene message from a "traffic enforcement officer"?
Maybe it could have been a comment directly from Car Park Gestapo Headquarters? I missed it...Dammit!
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